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Threads is nearing X’s daily app users, new data shows

Instagram Threads is close to catching up to top competitor X in terms of mobile app users, according to new data from market intelligence provider Similarweb. In June 2025, Threads’ mobile app for iOS and Android saw 115.1 million daily active users, representing 127.8% year-over-year growth; X reached 132 million daily actives, as its year-over-year growth declined by 15.2%. By comparison, decentralized social network Bluesky grew a sizable 372.5% year-over-year as of June, but its worldwide

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 review: the new king of Chromebooks

is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021. The world of Chromebooks has its MacBook Air. Lenovo’s latest Chromebook Plus 14 is an Arm-based thin-and-light with good specs, excellent battery life, a great keyboard, all-around solid build, and a fantastic OLED screen. But the best part is that its bright and punchy 14-inch panel comes standard on the base $649 configuration or as

VLLM: Easy, Fast, and Cheap LLM Serving with PagedAttention

GitHub | Documentation | Paper LLMs promise to fundamentally change how we use AI across all industries. However, actually serving these models is challenging and can be surprisingly slow even on expensive hardware. Today we are excited to introduce vLLM, an open-source library for fast LLM inference and serving. vLLM utilizes PagedAttention, our new attention algorithm that effectively manages attention keys and values. vLLM equipped with PagedAttention redefines the new state of the art in LL

Why I left my tech job to work on chronic pain

A “grey” matter I had just about finished moving into my new home in the winter of 2020, when all of a sudden - my right Achilles started feeling pretty sore! For the next 4 years, I continued to accumulate weird and persistent pains in different parts of my body. Next it was my other Achilles, then my voice, which was followed by my right shoulder, then back to both of my Achilles and then both of my hands/forearms/elbows. My body felt like a block of swiss cheese. Beyond being well, painful

Not everyone is thrilled with Threads’ DMs

Earlier this week, Instagram Threads launched what the company said was its most-requested feature to date: direct messages, also known as DMs. However, the company is now facing a bit of a user backlash over the addition, as users, primarily women, are arguing that there should be a way to opt out of DMs entirely, citing harassment concerns. Although DMs are a part of other social networks similar to Threads, including X, Bluesky, Mastodon, and others, some Threads users appreciated that they

HP 14-Inch Touchscreen Chromebook Is Practically Free, Working as Both Tablet and Laptop at a Record Low

Sometimes all you need is a laptop that’s simple, reliable, and easy to use. You want something that powers on fast, handles your everyday tasks smoothly, and doesn’t come with a complicated setup. It doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for a student, looking for a lightweight work computer, or just need something for browsing, streaming, and video calls, a Chromebook often fits the bill. And if you want to save some money right now, you don’t have to wait for a special sales event. You can just h

The best laptops of 2025: I've tested dozens of laptops and these are the best ones

Laptops come in a variety of different form factors these days, with manufacturers playing into the different categories to develop an intended use case. For example, lightweight laptops are made to be carried around, and trade in some raw power for portability. 2-in-1 laptops come with touchscreens that allow for use as a tablet. The best form factor for you reflects how you think you'll use the device. Lightweight/ultraportable laptops Made for students, hybrid workers, and anyone who needs

Razer Handheld Dock Chroma Follows Its Accessories' Formula: High Quality With a Higher Price

The Handheld Dock Chroma from Razer is a compact stand and dock for portable gaming consoles and tablets, offering charging and an interface to send your games to a bigger screen. As the name suggests, it includes RGB lighting that's part of Razer's Chroma ecosystem. It was announced at CES in January, and it recently started shipping. Is it any good? Well, largely yes, with some important caveats. What I like about the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma The Razer Handheld Chroma Dock is well built. I

Two years in, Apple is now officially on Threads

It took a minute, but Apple has at last activated its official Threads account. And thanks to its massive Instagram presence, it instantly picked up nearly 5 million followers. Today’s move comes well after several Apple-related accounts joined Instagram’s alternative to X right out of the gate. Apple Music, Apple News, Apple Books, Shazam, and Beats by Dre were among the first to show up shortly after Threads launched in mid-2023, but the main @apple account remained absent until now. Instant

New macOS malware targets crypto and Web3 startups with fake Zoom update

North Korean hackers are behind a new and unusually sophisticated macOS malware campaign that targets the crypto industry using fake Zoom invites. Here’s how it works. Dubbed “NimDoor” by researchers at SentinelLabs, the attack is more sophisticated than the typical macOS threat, and it chains together AppleScript, Bash, C++, and Nim to exfiltrate data and maintain access in compromised systems. Here’s SentinelLabs’ executive summary of the hack: DPRK threat actors are utilizing Nim-compiled

Acer 15.6″ Chromebook Is Going for Peanuts at Best Buy, This 4.5-Star Laptop Is Cheaper Than Your AirPods

Save $160 on the the 15.6-inch Acer Chromebook 315 for a limited time at Best Buy. In search of a new laptop? If you’re primary need for a computer is basic web browsing, email drafting, word processing, and YouTube video-watching, then you really don’t need to shell out for anything crazy expensive. A Chromebook is kind of the perfect tool for these use cases plus they’re super great for travel. Acer has its Chromebook on sale over at Best Buy. Right now, it’s been shaved down 50%. That brings

Google Chrome hit by another serious security flaw - update your browser ASAP

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Google has patched yet another critical security bug in Chrome, which means all of you who use the browser should update it ASAP. On Monday, the company revealed a high-severity vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker to run malicious code on your system. In its release notes for the latest version of Chrome, Google pointed to the security flaw tagged as CVE-2025-6554. The NIST page on this one describes it as: "Type confusion in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 138.0

I tried Google Chrome’s new bottom URL bar on Android, and it’s a mess

Andy Walker / Android Authority Google Chrome on Android has finally caught up with the rest of civilization by bashing two rocks together to introduce a bottom URL bar. Users who have sought out the feature and found it on Firefox, Samsung Internet, and Microsoft Edge can now choose which address bar position they prefer on Google’s browser: the traditional top of the screen or the more convenient bottom-edge placement. Don’t get me wrong — while I am annoyed that Google took this long to imp

Qantas discloses cyberattack amid Scattered Spider aviation breaches

Australian airline Qantas disclosed that it detected a cyberattack on Monday after threat actors gained access to a third-party platform containing customer data. Qantas is Australia's largest airline, operating domestic and international flights across six continents and employing around 24,000 people. In a press release issued Monday night, the airline states that the attack has been contained, but a "significant" amount of data is believed to have been stolen. The breach began after a threa

Threads gets its own DMs as app distances itself from Instagram

Instagram Threads is rolling out users’ most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and conversations, Meta says, starting with Trending Topics. At launch, Threads DMs offer a basic set of features. They’ll su

Apple Intelligence with less ‘Apple’? Why that might be the exact right move

Apple’s well documented struggles to upgrade Siri with AI might have an unexpected fix. Per Mark Gurman, Apple is considering powering its revamped Siri with third-party AI models from Anthropic or OpenAI. Here’s why that could be the best move for Apple and users. Apple’s struggling to keep up with AI innovations In the smartphone era, Apple’s success has been tremendous. The iPhone is ridiculously popular and very profitable. And it’s powered a stronger Apple ecosystem than ever, with servi

You Can Finally Use This Very Basic Threads Feature

Better late than never? Threads, Meta's answer to X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky, was launched almost two years ago in July 2023, and saw immediate rapid signups after piggybacking off Instagram's user base. Despite being around for that long, it's just now giving us the ability to direct message other users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg teased the new feature earlier this month as it was rolling out in beta. "We're starting to test DMs on Threads. If you get access to this -- slide through!" Zuc

Threads officially rolls out standalone DMs and debuts visual highlights

Meta just took another step in its belated but very welcome push to detach Threads from its Instagram roots. Starting today, the app is officially rolling out its own direct messaging system and a new visual highlights feature. Here’s how they work. Both updates mark the second anniversary of the app, which was officially launched on July 5th, 2024. And alongside the announcement, Threads also shared an interesting, but completely unsurprising fact, pointing to its increasingly independent futu

Two years later, Meta is making DMs on Threads official

Meta announced just a couple weeks ago that it would finally start testing a dedicated inbox for direct messages on Threads. Now, it's making the feature official and rolling out DMs to everyone. As with the earlier test, the update will add a messaging tab to the Threads app where users can access the inbox and exchange DMs with mutuals. Meta says that initially people will only be able to send messages to users who already follow them or mutual followers from Instagram, though it plans to rol

Threads now has DMs

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Threads has officially launched direct messaging for everyone. You can now privately message other users on the Meta-owned X rival, though Threads will only allow DMs between your followers or mutual followers on Instagram to start. You can send a DM on Threads by selecting the envelope icon in the toolbar at the bottom of your screen in the app. F

Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram

Instagram Threads is rolling out users’ most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and conversations, Meta says, starting with Trending Topics. At launch, Threads DMs offer a basic set of features. They’ll su

10 Best Chromebooks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

The price for Chromebooks can range wildly, from $150 up to $800, and therefore the specs can also vary. Processor: For the best experience, you should avoid older Chromebooks with Intel Celeron processors. The Chromebook Plus specifications offer a good baseline to guarantee speedy performance, and I’d recommend going with at least an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 processor. Just watch out for overspending on configurations with Intel Core i7 processors unless you need the extra

Anthropic Let an AI Agent Run a Small Shop and the Result Was Unintentionally Hilarious

Anthropic ran an experiment where its Claude chatbot was put in charge of a tiny, automated "shop" inside its San Francisco headquarters — and the results were nothing short of hilarious. Despite claims in an Anthropic post that "Claudius," the name given to the AI agent in charge of stocking the shop's shelves, was "close to success," everything about the gambit seems to demonstrate just how bad AI is at managing things in the real world. Dubbed "Project Vend," the month-long experiment was u

U.S. warns of Iranian cyber threats on critical infrastructure

U.S. cyber agencies, the FBI, and NSA issued an urgent warning today about potential cyberattacks from Iranian-affiliated hackers targeting U.S. critical infrastructure. CISA says there are no indications of an ongoing campaign but urges critical infrastructure organizations and other potential targets to monitor their defense due to the current unrest in the Middle East and cyber attacks previously linked to Iran. In a joint fact sheet, the cyber agencies warn that Defense Industrial Base (DI

Apple’s AI Siri might be powered by OpenAI

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Apple is considering enlisting the help of OpenAI or Anthropic to power its AI-upgraded Siri, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As Apple continues to struggle with the development of an upgraded “LLM Siri,” it reportedly asked OpenAI and Anthropic to create versions of their large-language models to test on the company’s private cl

Apple might ditch internal AI efforts for Siri revamp, use OpenAI or Anthropic instead

Apple is in talks with Anthropic and OpenAI to power the revamped version of Siri, potentially sidelining its own in-house AI models in the process. Here are the details. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has asked both OpenAI and Anthropic to train customized versions of their large language models that could run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. Rather than relying on third-party cloud platforms like AWS or Azure, these models would live on servers powered by Apple s

Apple reportedly considers letting Anthropic and OpenAI power Siri

In Brief Apple is considering using AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic to power its updated version of Siri, rather than using technology the company has built in-house, according to a report from Bloomberg on Monday. The iPhone maker continues to build out a project internally dubbed “LLM Siri” that uses in-house AI models, according to Bloomberg. However, Apple has reportedly asked OpenAI and Anthropic to train versions of their AI models that can run on Apple’s cloud infrastructure for tes

What happened when Anthropic's Claude AI ran a small shop for a month (spoiler: it got weird)

Daniel Grizelj/Getty Images Large language models (LLMs) handle many tasks well -- but at least for the time being, running a small business doesn't seem to be one of them. On Friday, AI startup Anthropic published the results of "Project Vend," an internal experiment in which the company's Claude chatbot was asked to manage an automated vending machine service for about a month. Launched in partnership with AI safety evaluation company Andon Labs, the project aimed to get a clearer sense of h

This Lenovo Chromebook easily replaced my Windows laptop for work - and I can't go back

ZDNET's key takeaways The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is available now, starting at $649. It's the most powerful Chromebook Plus device yet, and earned our Editor's Choice award for its fantastic battery, lovely OLED display, and ultraportable form. There's a limit to its performance capabilities, and utilizing ChromeOS to its fullest comes with a learning curve. View now at Best Buy It seems like every few months we're seeing new Chromebooks pushing the limits of what the devices can do. Their

Anthropic's Claude stocked a fridge with metal cubes when it was put in charge of a snacks business

If you're worried your local bodega or convivence store may soon be replaced by an AI storefront, you can rest easy — at least for the time being. Anthropic recently concluded an experiment, dubbed Project Vend, that saw the company task an offshoot of its Claude chatbot with running a refreshments business out of its San Francisco office at a profit, and things went about as well as you would expect. The agent, named Claudius to differentiate it from Anthropic's regular chatbot, not only made s